


Guns and Airships

by hadrons_collide



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Airships, Established Relationship, F/M, Perc'ahlia Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 15:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7898518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hadrons_collide/pseuds/hadrons_collide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Isn’t she beautiful?” Percy comments, eyes wide in awe as he stares at the ship docked above them. Vex thinks the look on his face must be like what hers looked like when she first held Fenthras, so she tries to withhold any judgement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Percy finally gets his airship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guns and Airships

**Author's Note:**

> My Perc'ahlia Vacation fic! pagerunner-j gave me the prompt "on an airship" so I decided to give Percy the airship he deserves- I hope you like it! Set in a vague post-Conclave future where everyone is happy together, with a couple references to the Feywild arc. Title is a Hamilton reference, naturally.

Vex tries to be supportive, she really does. Percy makes her ridiculous arrows all the time, he fixed her broom, he gave her a title. And the things Percy wants are so few and far between that Vex tries to make them happen to the best of her ability.

The airship, though… that’s going to be a little more complicated than the reliable supply of black powder she’d recently managed to secure for him in Whitestone

It’s pretty much all Percy and Scanlan have talked about since they took down the Chroma Conclave. The dragons are gone, they’ve settled into their new lives in Whitestone, and now it’s time to get an airship. Vex doesn’t quite get Percy’s fascination with the ships- sure, she loves the feeling of flying, loves the wind whipping at her hair, the soaring sensation in her stomach. The ship itself, though... the time they spent on it wasn’t too bad, other than the wyvern attack, and it’s certainly something else, but otherwise? It’s large, not particularly stealthy, and completely impractical and unnecessary for group travel since Keyleth can just teleport them through trees whenever they need to travel long distances.

Despite all that, Percy still wants one. Which is how Vex finds herself at the airship port in Vasselheim, arm linked through Percy’s as they wait for someone to come out and greet them.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Percy comments, eyes wide in awe as he stares at the ship docked above them. Vex thinks the look on his face must be like what hers looked like when she first held Fenthras, so she tries to withhold any judgement.

“It’s certainly something,” Vex says. “We can always just meet up with everyone else at the Slayer’s Take if no one’s coming,” she suggests, glancing back to the rest of the city.

She spoke too soon, apparently, as a finely dressed man walks briskly out to meet them. “So sorry about that,” he apologizes, inclining his head at Vex and Percy. “Antony Kyne, at your service. We weren’t expecting any arrivals or departures today, Mister…”

Percy smiles, all business now. “Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third, Lord of Whitestone, and Lady Vex’ahlia, Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt.” The man gives them more of a bow, recognizing their noble status, and Percy continues. “We were looking into acquiring an airship for Whitestone and were hoping to see if you had one available for purchase.”

Antony looks flustered, clearly not expecting any of this. Vex wonders if maybe they should have sent word ahead, but the trip to Vasselheim hadn’t exactly been planned- Vax had some Raven Queen business, and they all just decided to tag along at last minute. “I don’t- I don’t think we have any for sale, my lord, but I can register an inquiry…”

Percy’s face falls, and Vex leans forward. “Could we possibly at least get a tour? I mean, we came all the way from Whitestone because we heard how exquisite the airships of Vasselheim were. Plus, if we have to buy elsewhere, at least we’ll know what to look for, right, darling?”

Percy smiles at Vex and nods. “Yes, we would love a tour, if possible. I don’t think the airship we traveled on from Emon way back in the day was even this nice.”

Antony considers their request for a moment, glancing around the dock and taking in Percy’s eager face and Vex’s hopefully persuasive smile, and then motions them towards the airship. “Just a few minutes shouldn’t hurt. This is actually the newest model, and the most state-of-the-art airship available in all of Exandria.”

He goes on about the specifications of the ship, technical jargon that means nothing to Vex but seems to have Percy completely enthralled. He asks question after question as they approach the ship- speeds, weaponry, measurements and capacity, and Vex almost wonders if he’s keeping a mental note of all this and planning to design his own. If anyone could make it happen, it’s Percy, but with all the enchantments that must be keeping it afloat, it would probably be cheaper to just buy one outright.

Vex is almost afraid to ask how much something like this would cost. They aren’t short on funds after taking down the Conclave, but she can’t imagine it’s cheap. She’s pretty sure Whitestone doesn’t even have an airship port to begin with, unless Percy has been keeping one hidden from her.

They’ve reached the ship now, and instead of having to climb up the ropes like in Emon, this airship had an extendable platform for them to walk easily onto it. “This is already much nicer than the last one,” Vex comments, remembering how they’d had to pick Trinket up with a crane and put him on the deck.

“Like I said, state of the art,” Antony says with a smile. “Anything from last year will have been far surpassed by now. Aeronautical technology is in a bit of a boom right now, but I didn’t think Whitestone had an airship port?”

Percy glances quickly at Vex, then back at Antony. “Construction has been underway for a while, it should be ready for use in about a month.”

Vex elbows Percy in the side. “You didn’t tell me?”

He gives her half a shrug. “You’ve been busy rebuilding your house, getting everything else settled… getting me more black powder than I’ll probably ever need…”

“You’ll use it eventually!” Vex counters. “And I know you don’t need my permission to build things in your own city, but it would have been nice if you told me. I don’t want you to think you have to keep secrets from me.”

Percy reaches for her hand and squeezes it tightly. “You’re right, dear. I just know you aren’t the biggest fan of the airships to start with, so I figured I’d just surprise you. I’m sorry,” he says, leaning down to kiss her.

Vex smiles against his lips. “Well, as long as that’s the only secret you’re keeping from me, we’re good.”

She goes to kiss him again, but they’re interrupted by an awkward cough in front of them. Percy blushes as they look up at Antony, waiting patiently for them. “Shall we continue the tour of the cabins?”

Percy takes Vex’s hand and nods. “Lead the way, Antony.”

He walks them below deck through the cabins, and Vex can’t help but be in awe. These rooms are at least as fancy as their rooms in at the castle, if not fancier. Each room is fully and lavishly furnished, with thick carpets, paintings, ornate canopy beds- the kinds of things Vex only wishes she could buy for her new home in Whitestone.

“Most people who live in luxury also want to travel in luxury,” Antony comments as they head back up to the deck.

“And how much extra does luxurious travel like this cost?” she asks, bracing herself for Percy’s disappointment.

Antony thinks about it for a second. “Probably an extra twenty thousand gold for the furnishings, I would think. And of course, with this being a new model ship, it cost around forty thousand to begin with.”

Percy looks over at her, excitement in his eyes, and Vex raises an eyebrow. “Really?” She’d been expecting the price to be much higher, honestly- they’re still expensive and definitely still impractical, but it’s definitely something they have money for. She may have to put a hold on some of the upgrades for her new house, but she’s practically moved into Percy’s room at the castle anyways, so there’s no real rush. Plus, the look on his face is definitely worth it. “And I assume other models will be less expensive?”

“Of course,” Antony says with a nod. “Smaller airships for personal travel normally run around ten thousand, but if you want something with basic weaponry… twenty thousand, maybe?”

Percy squeezes her hand, grinning wildly. “That’s all? We can afford that, right, Vex?”

His eyes are glittering and Vex knows that even if it had been a hundred thousand gold, she wouldn’t have been able to say no to Percy. “Well, there’s not one here for us to afford, but I’ll look into finding one that we can. A nice one, still, but we don’t need one this nice.”

Percy surges forward and kisses her so enthusiastically he actually lifts her off the ground. Vex feels the wind in her hair as Percy spins her around. “You know I love you, right?” he asks, forehead pressed against hers.

“You’ve said it a few times,” Vex says. “But it’s always nice to hear.”

 

It takes her about three weeks to find an airship that will live up to Percy’s expectations. They’re harder to track down than she thought, and she has to go all the way back to Ank’Harel to find one that’s actually for sale. But the airship port is just getting the finishing touches when it finally arrives, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“You know, a year ago we flew off on the airship to Vasselheim,” Vex says, lacing her fingers through Percy’s as they walk down to the port.

Percy looks at her with disbelief. “It’s only been a year? Seriously?”

“It feels like a lifetime, doesn’t it? We hadn’t even met the Briarwoods yet. Well, you had, but…” She trails off, because even though they’re gone and Whitestone is rebuilding, it’s still a sore subject with Percy. He might not have even heard her, though, because Percy’s attention is now entirely focused on the beautiful airship waiting in the port.

“I love you,” Percy says, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Are you talking to me or the ship, darling?”

A smile creeps across his lips. “Both of you, I think. Does she have a name?” Vex nods and points at the hull. Percy squints behind his glasses to read the Elvish script, then smiles. “Death From Above. That’s cute.“

Vex grins and squeezes his hand. “Now we match.” He’s still staring at the ship, eyes wide and excited, and she pulls him towards it. “Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”

Percy follows her, taking in every single detail of the airship as he does. Vex tries to remember the exact measurements and statistics the man in Ank’Harel told her- she has them all written down somewhere, but in her excitement to see Percy’s excitement, she left it in her room. Percy doesn’t seem to mind, though, nodding as Vex answers his questions the best she can.

“Did you want to see below decks?” She asks, watching as Percy looks off the bow of the ship towards the city. The wind is fluttering through his hair, shining bright and white in the sun, and he looks radiant up here.

“Can’t we go anywhere?”

Vex shakes her head. “Not right now. The crew have a couple days off after journey here from Ank’Harel, and we’ll probably want to hire a few more from here in Whitestone.” Percy’s face falls, but Vex places a hand on his cheek. “I know you probably want to go somewhere, but… we do have the ship to ourselves now.”

Percy raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

Vex nods and starts walking backwards towards the stairs to below deck. “And I managed to track down one of those fancy beds for our bedroom here. If you wanted to check it out.” She smirks as Percy follows her, grinning widely all the way down below decks.


End file.
